{"id":150415,"date":"2026-01-09T10:29:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T15:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=150415"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:06:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:06:04","slug":"could-this-be-a-simple-solution-to-reducing-childhood-obesity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/could-this-be-a-simple-solution-to-reducing-childhood-obesity\/","title":{"rendered":"Could This Be a Simple Solution to Reducing Childhood Obesity?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For decades, researchers have studied the rising rates of childhood obesity in the United States, where now one in five children are affected by epidemic. The prescription is always the same: limit screen time, eat a well-balanced diet, exercise.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_150424\" style=\"max-width: 1200px;\" class=\"figure mx-auto d-block\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid w-100 wp-image-150424 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale.jpg\" alt=\"Keith Brazendale standing next to a research poster\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale-360x240.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid w-100 wp-image-150424 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%20800%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Keith Brazendale standing next to a research poster\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%20800%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale-360x240.jpg 360w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/UCF_-Keith-Brazendale.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">UCF Associate Professor Keith Brazendale<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>UCF Associate Professor Keith Brazendale believes society is overlooking a simple intervention that could be a major game-changer for kids everywhere, so much so that the National Institutes of Health awarded him a $453,000 funding grant to move forward with his study.<\/p>\n<p>The solution? Free summer camp for kids.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis won\u2019t require 20 years in a lab,\u201d Brazendale says of his study over the next two summers. \u201cEverything is already in place to impact childhood obesity. I think that\u2019s what raised so much curiosity from my proposal. Can it really be this simple?\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Why Summer Camp?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cMy ultimate goal is to shift our mindset about how we improve the health of kids,\u201d Brazendale says from his office in UCF\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/college\/health-professions-sciences\/\">College of Health Professions and Sciences<\/a>, \u201cbecause up until now, I believe we\u2019ve gotten it all wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Getting it right has inspired Brazendale\u2019s research across two decades, including his next project on combatting childhood obesity.<\/p>\n<p>Brazendale\u2019s project will bring together community pediatricians, organizers of summer day camps, and low-income families. Before the summers of 2026 and 2027 begin, the pediatricians will provide camp vouchers to 40 kids who meet certain weight and body mass index (BMI) criteria. Data collected before camp and after camp will build upon Brazendale\u2019s Structured Day Hypothesis.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIt\u2019s clear that structure is enough to mitigate much of the weight gain we\u2019re observing in American children. I\u2019m hopeful a study like this will affect change in public health policy.\u201d<br>\n\u2014 Keith Brazendale, UCF associate professor<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe know what happens when kids have no structure,\u201d says Brazendale, a father of two. \u201cWhen schools closed during COVID, it became our largest experiment of unstructured days. Children\u2019s obesity levels went through the roof. It\u2019s clear that structure is enough to mitigate much of the weight gain we\u2019re observing in American children. I\u2019m hopeful a study like this will affect change in public health policy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If this is true, then it raises the question, \u201cWhy have we overlooked a structured summer as a solution to childhood obesity?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Consider that more than 90% of past studies have taken place during the school year \u2014 the most convenient time to find kids for research. The timing has led to a repetitive focus on school lunch programs and physical education. Brazendale, however, draws upon his own experiences with kids from low-income communities and believes that studies on schools may be occurring where a natural intervention is already happening.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSchools actually do a great job because of structure built into each day\u201d he says. \u201cMeanwhile, we\u2019ve ignored 20 years of evidence showing weight gain and loss of fitness occurring during summer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s referring to evidence which had become \u201cbricks buried in a brickyard.\u201d It happens with a lot of studies. They\u2019re filed away, waiting for another researcher to come along and dig them up years later. That\u2019s how Brazendale began to learn about the link between summer breaks and childhood obesity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPediatricians have reported for years that children are heavier toward the end of summer,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople my age think of summer as an active time when it really isn\u2019t, especially for kids whose families can\u2019t afford pricey camps and club sports. So, let\u2019s see what happens when we help them fill those empty weeks with free and fun structured activity.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_150417\" style=\"max-width: 1200px;\" class=\"figure mx-auto d-block\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1145\" class=\"figure-img size-full wp-image-150417 img-fluid\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity.jpg\" alt=\"Man in black polo, khaki pants and white sneakers measures a child's height using medical equipment\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-300x286.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-838x800.jpg 838w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-537x512.jpg 537w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-419x400.jpg 419w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-360x344.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1145\" class=\"figure-img size-full wp-image-150417 img-fluid lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%201145%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Man in black polo, khaki pants and white sneakers measures a child's height using medical equipment\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%201145%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-300x286.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-838x800.jpg 838w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-537x512.jpg 537w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-419x400.jpg 419w, https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity-360x344.jpg 360w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/20\/files\/2026\/01\/ucf-Brazendale-childhood-obesity.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The National Institutes of Health awarded UCF Associate Professor Keith Brazendale (right) a a $453,000 funding grant to further his research on combating childhood obesity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Community Buy-In<\/h2>\n<p>If Brazendale\u2019s hypothesis is correct, it could cultivate the kind of healthy long-term lifestyle Brazendale experienced while growing up in Scotland. His intrigue about children\u2019s health brought him to study in the U.S., where his research momentum eventually landed at UCF. Among his first action items upon arriving was to contact pediatricians at Nemours and leaders of the Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of Central Florida.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I mentioned bringing all of us together as a potential health intervention for kids, they said, \u2018We\u2019re in,\u2019 \u201d Brazendale says. \u201cHaving them involved means we have trusted people in the community to create bridges rather than hoping families respond to a researcher out of nowhere asking them to sign up for a study.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The research side will include experts from UCF\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/college\/nursing\/\">College of Nursing<\/a>, a statistician, a pediatrician and consultants from the University of South Carolina. They\u2019ll compare health markers for the 40 kids who attend summer camp with 40 kids who spend summer at home. Then they\u2019ll do it again with two more groups the following summer.<\/p>\n<p>With additional funding, a second research phase would include hundreds of children nationwide. The results\u2019 ripple effects would be monumental.<\/p>\n<p>According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, \u201cin 2019, the estimated annual medical cost of obesity among U.S. children was $1.3 billion. Medical costs for children with obesity were $116 higher per person per year than for children with healthy weight. Medical costs for children with severe obesity were $310 higher per person per year than for children with healthy weight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImagine where this could lead,\u201d Brazendale says. \u201cPediatricians would prescribe summer camp as medicine. The health of children would not be limited by family incomes. The research findings would encourage public policy to subsidize camp enrollment the way we do with Head Start. There would be relief on our medical practitioners and on our healthcare system. Childhood obesity rates would decline and long-term health would improve.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A research team led by UCF\u2019s Keith Brazendale will bring together pediatricians and summer camp leaders to explore an overlooked way to make more kids healthier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":150416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[6,23],"tags":[4869,18219,18082,54865,4511,54802],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-150415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-research","tag-college-of-nursing","tag-community-impact","tag-health","tag-keith-brazendale","tag-summer-camp","tag-ucf-college-of-health-professions-and-sciences"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Could This Be a Simple Solution to Reducing Childhood Obesity?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 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